Once upon a time there was a greedy snake

"After all, that ancient snake was just something to see for the novelty,"

The Golden-Winged Roc gave its summary.

"So this level is enough."

Thus, the plan to find a substitute was finalized. After all, the plan itself was not complicated. If there was any trouble, it was probably that finding a savage to serve as a substitute might be a bit difficult.

However, after a brief search, they discovered that even this seemingly most troublesome problem was not actually that troublesome.

This land has always been inhabited, and there are even many intelligent species resembling monkeys living outside the mountains.

"Isn't that simpler?"

After realizing how easy everything was, the three giant beasts each began their own actions.

Although they couldn't personally appear under the watchful eye of the ancient serpent, they all possessed unique skills, coming from the western side of the Great Snow Mountain.

……

In a thatched house outside the city of Ignis, the hunter Ignis, known as Bone Whistle, rubbed his aching head.

In the past few days, Bone Whistle has been having the same recurring nightmare: a giant blue-faced lion appears in his dreams, its majestic appearance truly deserving of the title of the most powerful of all.

But that's why Bone Whistle calls this kind of dream a nightmare, because the current Thirty-Sixth Generation Akakage is acting like a madman, promoting some kind of true path of pleasure, which is the so-called "Way of All".

Of course, what the Thirty-Sixth Akakage said made a good point—that he wanted the Ignivas to experience true joy and what it meant to be the true hero. But the problem is, the system the Thirty-Sixth Akakage promoted was simply…

At least in Bone Whistle's opinion, this was absolutely a nightmare; that Thirty-Sixth Generation Akakage had probably gone mad.

In fact, when those minotaurs, also known as the Hennu, were still around, Bone Whistle had a lot of complaints about the pleasure-seeking methods they promoted—in his view, true happiness should come from conquest, from battle, from hunting wild beasts, and from accomplishing great feats.

Instead of getting involved with those trolls and getting involved in all sorts of pointless things.

Of course, he also liked the gold and gems brought by the Minotaur, but in his opinion, if he wanted gold and gems, he should fight his way out and conquer the Hennu, just like he conquered the Ice People.

But clearly, this is just his own opinion, and it's meaningless.

The Thirty-Sixth Generation Akakage didn't think that way. Heaven knows what the Thirty-Sixth Generation Akakage was thinking. Anyway, even now, very few Ignivas have ever been to the other side of the Great Snow Mountain, as if that tunnel was dug for nothing.

"Red Shadow... Hah."

Bone Whistle became even more agitated when he thought of the tunnel in the snowy mountains.

His father, his grandfather, and his great-grandfather all gave their lives for that tunnel. His great-grandfather and grandfather were buried alive by avalanches, and his father died from exhaustion while transporting supplies to the front lines. The current Akakage, the previous Akakage, and even the Akakage before that all said that once the tunnel was completed, everything would be alright.

And now, the tunnel has indeed been dug through.

But has the life of the Ignivas people really changed?

Perhaps the only things that have changed are Crimson Shadow and his guards. After all, they took the most of the gold and jewels brought by the minotaurs, and they were also the most diligent in practicing the so-called path of pleasure brought by the minotaurs.

As for these ordinary Ignivas people...

"what."

Seeing that it was still dark, Bone Whistle simply stopped thinking about these worries and continued to sleep soundly.

After all, there were still things to do after dawn. His job was to refine the essence of the food, which required precise control of the flames all day long, and he needed to be full of energy. This kind of meticulous work did not allow for any drowsiness.

But just after falling asleep, Bone Whistle saw the enormous blue-faced lion again.

This time, however, before Bone Whistle could even begin to complain about his nightmare.

The blue-faced giant lion spoke first.

“I heard your prayer.”

"So, do you want to start a new, different life?"

Chapter 102 Transformation

Meanwhile, in the city of Ignis.

Just as the hunter Ignis, known as Bone Whistle, was dreaming, listening to the blue-faced giant lion recount the bravery of the Catan warriors.

A witch doctor named Leijing also received a broken piece of ivory by chance.

Since there are no more mammoths around Ignis, their ivory has become much more precious. Experienced shamans would grind the best ivory into fine bone powder and add it to wound medicine to promote healing.

However, this time, the old witch doctor named Leishin discovered that this ivory was completely different from other ivory—not only in terms of quality, but also in terms of efficacy.

When ordinary ivory is mixed with wound medicine, it can at most heal the wound. But the powder from this half-piece of ivory, when mixed with wound medicine, can not only heal the wound, but also make the skin in the wound area thicker and tougher.

Normally, such special materials would definitely be taken to the Crimson Shadow, and then the elites of the Ignivas would be gathered to study how to make the most of them.

But now...

The Thirty-Sixth Generation Akakage is promoting what is known as the "Way of the Crowd."

Even the old witch doctor, Leishin, knew a little about it.

So Lei Jing immediately thought that this piece of ivory, which could thicken the skin, might be used in some other places.

Of course, Lei Jing would not tell anyone this secret. As for why he was getting stronger and stronger, he would only say that it was because he had achieved success in cultivating the Dao.

But as he used more and more of the powder from that strange ivory, his physique began to change. His skin became rough, his body grew taller, and even his temper became more irritable.

If Lei Jing had ever been to the west of the Great Snow Mountain, had ever lived in a certain mountainous area, and had ever seen the Nata people who had long since become extinct.

He will then discover that he is gradually turning into the Nata people.

……

Just as the old witch doctor Leishin's body was becoming stronger and stronger, his mind was becoming increasingly confused.

A seeker of truth, living in seclusion on a sacred mountain, is also diligently studying a strange scripture.

In the history of the Ignivas, the Seeker is a rather ancient profession, its history even dating back to before the first Crimson Shadow. Unlike most Ignivas, Seekers do not usually live in cities, nor do they accept assignments from the Crimson Shadow. After all, when they choose to become Seekers, their pursuit of the Way and their thirst for knowledge have already permeated their lives.

And now, this young seeker of the Dao named Suixin is trying to decipher the strange scripture in his hands.

The scripture is not made of birch bark, which is commonly used by the Ignivas, but of feathers with golden edges—heaven knows why anyone would choose to leave a pattern on feathers that are difficult to preserve, and what is most strange is that this ancient scripture is so well preserved.

"It looks like it was left behind by the people from the ice fields in the north."

Based on the information available, the seeker, Suixin, made a rough judgment.

After all, it is recorded in the history of the Ignivas that at the end of the Old Kings era, when the northern Ice People were still quite powerful, those barbaric Ice People worshipped the giant eagle as a god, so using feathers to compile scriptures may be understandable.

However, here's the problem: even the Ignivas didn't leave any real records during the Old King's era. The formal writing of history only began around the time of the first Red Shadow. If this book was indeed written by the Ice People, wouldn't that mean that the Ice People at that time were even more civilized than the Ignivas?

"That can't be right, those Ice People are so savage..."

Sui Xin was puzzled; this historical fog from the old era confused him greatly.

However, this is not too bad. As long as he can decipher the contents of the scriptures, he will probably be able to unravel these long-forgotten mysteries.

As for the content of the scriptures, it is not complicated. Although the patterns drawn on the feathers are quite abstract, if you look closely, you can still make out the meaning they are trying to express.

"First, we need to obtain eagle feathers and wear them on our heads..."

As he tried to decipher the mottled patterns on the feather scriptures, Suixin attempted to understand them.

This appears to be some kind of ancient sacrificial ritual, but upon closer inspection, it is not entirely so. Apart from some parts that seem to be used for sacrifice, much of the content describes a method of training. According to the illustrations in the text, as long as this training method is completed, one can possess the ability of an eagle, fly into the sky, and look down upon all things in the world.

"Impossible, how can a person fly into the sky?"

Sui Xin naturally didn't believe in this.

However, the text describes the whole process in a very realistic way, from the very beginning, borrowing the power from the feathers, to how to control the divine power of the king of birds, and finally growing feathers and flying through the sky and disappearing into the earth... The whole process seems to be really true.

This made Sui Xin even more curious.

If it were an ordinary Ignis, they would probably just rely on their experience to judge that this kind of thing would definitely not work. But for seekers of the Way, they always have to verify it themselves to know whether it is possible or not.

So, Suixin began his experiment, following the pattern in the scripture.

The entire ritual was not complicated. It simply involved making a crown out of eagle feathers so that he could fully perceive the wisdom of the Eagle God. In order to experience the wisdom of the Eagle God more deeply, he also had to burn smoke to attract the Eagle God's attention. This was also within his understanding, since the Ignivas people also attracted the Dao Ancestor by burning smoke pillars.

"But those Icefield people's Eagle Gods are dead, right? I remember they were killed on the spot by the Ancestor of the Dao. That great battle even wiped out the entire capital of the Old King's era..."

Thinking this way, Suixin suddenly realized that her attempt might not be effective.

But to Sui Xin's surprise, just as he lit the smoke...

Yet a clear silhouette of an eagle was reflected in the smoke.

That was more than just an eagle; after all, its form was far broader and stronger than that of an eagle.

"Perhaps it should be called... the Roc?"

Gazing at the illusory figure in the smoke, a faint understanding arose in the heart of the seeker, Suixin.

As the roc began to cry out from within the smoke, the seeker of the Dao, Suixin, felt himself gradually beginning to understand everything.

"It turns out that true knowledge has always been held by the lost Mani people..."

"If you want to seek more knowledge... you must become a Mani!"

Chapter 103 It's all for your own good

Day and night turn, and time flows by one day after another.

But the 36th Akakage didn't seem to care about this.

After all, what he was going to promote was a truly grand plan, the system he named "The Way of the Crowd," which was capable of truly changing all the people of Ignivas—something of this magnitude could not be accomplished overnight.

The Thirty-Sixth Akakage was even prepared to use all his strength in his life to accomplish this.

For Akakage, this kind of thing is actually quite normal. After all, every Akakage has spent their entire life trying to change something. Just like the first Akakage spent his whole life only bringing together the remaining Ignivas, while the second Akakage spent his entire life helping the Ignivas gain a foothold in the southern swamp.

By the time of the Third Akakage, the old territory of the Ignivas had been recovered, and the lost people had been found. The Fourth Akakage, on the other hand, spent his entire life researching how to extend the lifespan of the Ignivas through diet...

And then it came to him, the 36th Akakage.

He planned to complete the civilization of the Ignivas, so that they could truly escape their previous boring lives and find real happiness.

"This is for your own good... after all, we can't let you be tempted by those Hennu people."

The Thirty-Sixth Generation Akakage thought to himself.

Yes, the more he studied the various paths, the more he realized just how dangerous the Ignivas were when those Hennu people—that is, the minotaurs—arrived.

Indeed, the Ignivas may be skilled enough to fight and hard work, but they are completely devoid of spirituality and enjoyment.

On the contrary, the minotaurs were extremely skilled in this art, and upon their arrival, they conquered the hearts of many Ignivas with gold, jewels, and various forms of pleasure.

If the great One God hadn't awakened and strengthened the will of the Ignivas, if the minotaurs hadn't suddenly changed their ways and retreated... if the minotaurs had continued to spread their hedonistic ways on this land...

What will the Ignivas become?

The Thirty-Sixth Generation Akakage was already hesitant to even think about it; it was likely a tragic ending that none of the Ignivas could accept.

The Ignivas, it's even possible, will perish in his generation.

"Therefore... we must have our own way of enjoying life."

This is also why the 36th Akakage insists on promoting the Way of the People.

They must have their own way of enjoying life so that they won't be manipulated by those minotaurs in such an unheard-of way. The Ignivas must have their own way of enjoying life in order to go further and endure for a longer period.

"Unfortunately... not everyone can understand my good intentions."

Thinking of this, the 36th generation Akakage sighed deeply.

This was the most painful thing for him, because he was wholeheartedly for the good of the Ignivas, but now it was the Ignivas who stood up against him.

A segment of the Ignivas began to oppose the doctrines he promoted, and even the civilization he upheld. These Ignivas felt that since the tunnel had been opened, they should fight their way through to the other side, conquering the Hennu as they had conquered the Ice People.

"But if that's the case, how are we any different from those barbaric ice field people?"

The Thirty-Sixth Generation Akakage said this more than once, after all, his perspective was completely different from that of the ordinary Ignivas—the ordinary Ignivas could only see that if they attacked, there would be gold and gems, and they could conquer all the Hennus just like they conquered the Icefield People.

However, in the eyes of the Thirty-Sixth Akakage, things were not like that at all.

Indeed, as long as they fight their way through, they are sure to win. The Thirty-Sixth Akakage has a clear understanding of the warriors' combat strength and is confident enough in the firepower of the mages. But the question is, what will happen after they win?

At the end of the Old Kings' era, when the Ice People invaded the capital of the Ignivas, they all thought they had won and that they had everything.

Then those giants vanished into the annals of history.

Winning is never the end; the hardest part begins after victory. If the Ignivas remain as ignorant of the ways of pleasure as before, then their victory in war will mark the beginning of their decline.

Just like those Ice People back then... no, even worse than those Ice People back then.